


It's Never Too Late

by edgarallanrose



Series: Season 13 Codas and Ficlets [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 13x05, Episode Fix-it, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Episode: s13e05 Advanced Thanatology, Feelings, Kinda, M/M, brothers being brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 06:24:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12721311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgarallanrose/pseuds/edgarallanrose
Summary: “We’ll be there in less than an hour. Stay where you are.”“Okay, thank you. And Dean?”“Yeah?”“I…it’s very good to hear your voice.”Dean doesn’t know what to say to that. He hangs up.Episode Tag for 13x05: Advanced Thanatology ft. The Phone Call and the "Hello, Dean" we all knew happened, even if we didn't get to hear it.





	It's Never Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 13x05 (like y'all don't already know). Title from the Steppenwolf song of the same name, which played at the end of the episode.

Dean’s phone was ringing. Sam jerked awake and Dean picked it up without looking at the number.

“Yeah?”

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean’s foot nearly slammed on the breaks.

“What?” Sam looked up, blinking sleep from his eyes.

Dean couldn’t speak.

“Hello?” the voice on the line said. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

“Who…who…” Dean managed to stammer. Sam had completely woken up now.

“Dean, it’s me, Castiel. It’s Cas.”

“Cas?” Dean’s voice broke. It had to be a joke. He should just hang up.

“Please, don’t hang up,” the voice that sounded very much like Cas said. “Dean, I need help. I’m trying to find my way back to the bunker, but I’m not sure how far away I am.”

“I’ll come get you,” Dean said, before he could even begin to think of any questions. Before he could find a reason to doubt this was real. “What can you see around you?”

“Dean, what is going on?” Sam asked, and Dean shushed him.

“Well, I walked along a highway for a very long time, and then went off exit 36 to find a payphone. I know I’m in Kansas.”

“Did you see what highway?”

“I-70.”

“We’re on I-70 right now,” Dean said, then, to Sam, “find out what’s off exit 36.” Sam frowned, but didn’t argue as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Can you see any landmarks? A building, anything?”

“I’m outside a church. First Street Mission.”

“It’s a town called Brewster,” Sam said.

“Look for a church called First Street Mission in Brewster,” Dean said, angling the phone away from his mouth.

“Got it,” Sam said.

“Listen, we’re about to cross the Colorado state line back into Kansas,” Dean said, returning to the phone. “We’ll be there in less than an hour. Stay where you are.”

“Okay, thank you. And Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“I…it’s very good to hear your voice.”

Dean doesn’t know what to say to that. He hangs up.

“I have the address pulled up,” Sam said, eyeing Dean warily, like he’s waiting for some kind of reaction. Some explosion of anger, joy, snot and tears, the works.

Dean felt numb.

“Do you think it’s really him?”

“I don’t know what to think.” Dean stared ahead at the road, pressed the gas pedal down a little harder.

“I mean, I want to believe it’s him, of course,” Sam continued, “but I just don’t see how –”

“Jesus, Sam, I know, but can you just let me believe? Just for one goddamn second?”

Dean didn’t mean to shout, but Sam’s only response was to nod and look apologetic. This only made Dean feel worse.

Dean thought about his angry prayers to God, to Amara, to anyone who would listen. The scabs from splitting open his knuckles had only just healed. Had someone actually responded? Did he owe someone a favor now? If so, wouldn’t they have come to him first?

Dean took a deep breath. One thing at a time.

“I’m sorry, Sam.”

“No, it’s okay. I get it.”

“Get what?” Dean narrowed his eyes at him, hoping he’d take the hint that now was not the time for whatever conversation he wanted to have.

“Dean,” Sam said hesitantly, “Cas…he was my friend too, so it took me a while to realize why we were affected by his death so differently.”

“Well, we might be brothers, but we’re still very different people, Sam. I’d say that’s normal.”

Sam shook his head. “No, I mean, he meant a lot to you.”

“He meant a lot to both of us.”

“Dean…”

Dean pursed his lips, refusing to acknowledge his brother’s pleading looks. Sam eventually sighed, and went back to staring at the map on his phone.

Dean finally felt the tears start to prick at the corner of his eyes. It had taken him so many years to acknowledge his feelings, about himself, about Cas, and he had only just started to figure it out. He thought he had time and then…

Maybe now he had another chance. Maybe now he could at least look him in the eyes and say –

“Exit’s coming up in two miles,” Sam said.

Dean’s heart leapt to his throat and he pressed the gas pedal further to the floor. Baby purred, like she could feel they were getting closer too.

Maybe soon. Maybe now.

“I’ve really missed him, Sam,” Dean heard himself say out loud. His voice was shaking. Christ, he needed to pull himself together.

All Sam said was, “I know.”

They turned the corner onto 1st Street. There, next the payphone, was a figure, trench coat silhouetted by the bright neon street signs.

Dean had seen so many ghosts in the last 24 hours. This might just be one more.

 He and Sam exited the car anyway.

The figure…Cas…turned and met his eyes. Something about him looked different. His hair? His coat? It didn’t matter, because it was Cas, _it was really Cas._

He stared at Dean, eyes filling with tears. Slowly, he began to smile.

“Hello, Dean.”

**Author's Note:**

> THERE. HE SAID IT. IT'S FIXED. So excited for the actual reunion this week! And cowboys! And CAS! Season 13 has been so good to us, y'all. 
> 
> As a side note, I have a quick question for anybody willing to give me their two cents on this. So, I never cross-post to my tumblr, nor promote my fics there (except for when I'm involved in challenges like DCBB, but that's a lil different). This used to be because I wanted to keep my tumblr and ao3 separate from each other so people who know me IRL couldn't find my fics, but now I don't really care lmao. SO, my question is, should I start doing so? At least for ficlets like these? If not posting them in their entirety, at least a link? Do you find a lot of fics through tumblr, do you like reading/reblogging fics on tumblr? What is your personal experience with any of this?? Please, let me know!
> 
> Aaand, if you're interested, the aforementioned tumblr can be found [right here.](https://www.edgarallanrose.tumblr.com)
> 
> Anyway, as always, thanks for reading!


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